Through Fire, Wind, Water and Daggers
by Oujdagirl
Summary: A sort of diary entry set during the first book; from the protest at the school until Callum gets home and is from his POV. Oneshot.


**All Characters belong to Malorie Blackman ©**

**A/n: A new fandom for me; but this was written as English homework so I don't know if it counts. My teacher liked it (she first thought I'd copied it from the internet :/) and my best friend, Duckies-on-A-trampoline says I have to post it on here. A sort of diary entry set during the first book; from the protest at the school until Callum gets home and is from his POV. Hope you people like it! :)**

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You know what I first though when I saw Sephy dodging amongst our attackers and then somehow getting past our protectors? I thought, _My Saviour_. I don't know what I hoped to happen; but my brain seemed to come up with an image of an angel flying high through devils and fire to save us.

My angel was tall and sleek with wings of feathers that looked too intricately placed to have been by accident. And she was pushing through the poison that had leaked into our world. Through fire and wind and water and daggers to rescue us. She blocked out the noise surrounding me with just her presence; she was different from them.

The crosses were deafening when we were the ones they were shouting at with all their strength. Several different people creating one voice. One voice of absolute power. And because they were crosses; we had to believe that they were right. They are the better race after all. We noughts had to stand behind three teachers and let them punch us and kick us and insult us while the mantra of "No blankers in our school" was slowly drilled into our brains like torture.

But that wasn't the worst part; torture doesn't compare with what my once thought angel called us. I would have been able to forget what those daggers all lined up to shriek in our faces if not for what Sephy called us. What she called me. _Blanker._

A nought meant nothing, literally zero. But God knows how many years ago; we accepted that name. We knew what it meant, but it kept them happy and us safe. Then they named us blankers. A word that means lower that nothing. Worse than dirt. A being without thoughts and opinions and lives and dreams. Noughts could dream. Blankers couldn't.

And what the poisoned daggers were yelling at us didn't matter because of what she'd said. They couldn't hurt me as much as she could. She'd grow up to be like the rest of them. Camera's zoomed in on her face as it went oh so slightly pink in embarrassment with the silence before she looked to me. To us noughts in our holding pen. With an expression heart-wrechingly sorry. I could imagine the camera scene now:

_Persephone Hadley has finally followed in her father's footsteps of hating the guts and worse of every blanker in existence. Could she regret her words?_

She couldn't take them back; seven cameras had those words recorded and they would be shown on every news station tonight. My family would see them and prove them right; that crosses couldn't be trusted and as much I didn't want to believe it; I began to learn the truth behind their words.

The principal seemed too pleased at Sephy's words, and he stood up all smiles pretending like everything was fine when I was dying inside. He did his best to usher the students into the school and said about four words to us. "Keep your heads down." He wasn't even talking to us, asking whether we were okay; just one command. He couldn't get away fast enough; like he thought we were too lowly to share his air. Pompous dagger.

I avoided Sephy for most of the day and while I walked home trying to avoid the looks crosses were giving me as they recognised my face from the protest, I bartered in my mind whether or not I should go to the beach today. If I didn't, then Sephy would think it was over between us; and I didn't want that. She'd be my angel whatever she said. But I wanted her to hurt like I did, so I waited in Meadowview for a while before I actually started walking to her family's beach.

And like every other day, she was sitting there on the beach, alone. Her shadow casting long dark spaces that disappeared into the sea in front of her. I wanted to draw her wings on in the sand; her angel wings. But then I remembered why I was here.

"Sephy." I began in a curt tone.

She didn't even take a breath before launching into her heart felt apology and I could do nothing but forgive. As long as she never uttered that word again, I'd be fine. Probably.

She didn't leave the beach for such a long time after I'd told her to go inside and I spent the whole time in the shadows just watching her. _Making sure she was safe_, I told myself. Even I couldn't believe that. I was just watching her for the sake of it.

The great inquisition of my mother started when I got home. All I wanted to do was lie down. Today was difficult. Definitely not what I thought my first day at Heath crofts would be like.

I rushed to leave the room, trying to get out before I heard Sephy say those hurtful words again, and failing. I heard what my family said too. Everyone said Sephy was bad for me. Even mum; someone I thought would never condone talking badly of someone like that. From listening to the rest of my family's conversation, I learnt that she'd volunteered to tell me that Sephy was no good. As if I didn't hear that everyday, everywhere. That Crosses were bad for noughts and should keep to themselves. That it was the same both ways. I'd heard it all before and I honestly didn't care. I knew Sephy and despite what I'd thought earlier; she wasn't like the others and hopefully never would be.

But my mother is probably going come to tell me her lies sometime in the next few days. As much as I loved my family; I knew they are wrong. They were wrong about the world. Crosses and noughts could be friends if they stopped purposely hurting each other.

I'll let her try convince me otherwise; I wouldn't believe her anyway.

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**-Oujdagirl**


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